By Olufunmi Zainab
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that farmers are actively involved in policy decisions aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and strengthening national food security.
Mr. Eniola Akindele, Manager of Research, Data and Impact Assessment at the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), stated this on Tuesday in Kano.
Akindele spoke at the Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth Programme (AGROW) Agroecological Zonal Workshop held in the state.
He said the current administration, through the PFSCU, was working to ensure that agricultural interventions are farmer-driven, market-focused and result-oriented, rather than imposed through top-down approaches.
According to him, AGROW focuses on key value chains such as rice, wheat, tomato, sesame and sorghum, which are critical to Nigeria’s food security and economic growth.
He explained that AGROW is a 500-million-dollar home-grown initiative led by Nigeria and co-created across the three tiers of government.
“It is further developed in partnership with the private sector and development partners, with technical support from the World Bank,” he said.
Akindele noted that previous agricultural interventions were constrained by fragmented public spending, blanket input subsidies, government-driven programmes, opaque and paper-based land administration systems, as well as multiple informal trade levies.
He explained that the AGROW model introduces a new approach centred on state-level agricultural support and financial assistance linked to market outcomes.
According to him, the programme also targets public investments, institutionalised private sector engagement, transparent and secure land administration, and efficient, predictable interstate agricultural trade.
He added that AGROW is built on three major components: strengthening private sector linkages with smallholder farmers; modernising on-farm production systems; and ensuring effective project coordination, monitoring and evaluation.
Akindele outlined the eligibility criteria for states seeking to participate in AGROW, which include sustainable land-based investment processes, digital farmer registries, and increased transparency of fees and levies for interstate trade.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Kano State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Bashir Sunusi, said the workshop aligned with the state government’s agenda to improve agricultural productivity.
Sunusi said the state government had recruited 1,038 agricultural extension workers, provided farming equipment including tractors and power tillers, and established three mechanisation centres in Gaya, Dambatta and Kadawa.
Reports reveal that participants were drawn from Sudan Savannah agroecological states, including Sokoto, Katsina, Gombe, Kebbi, Bauchi and Kano.
